Hoop assembly for hoop skirts



Nov. 28, 1961 D. W. TATE HOOP ASSEMBLY FOR HOOP SKIRTS Filed NOV. 3, 1959 25 Dannie M. Tafe 1N VEN TOR.

United States Patent ofiice 3,0l0,l l3 Patented Nov. 28, 1961 3,010,113 HOOP ASSEMBLY FOR HOOP SKIRTS Donnie W. Tate, Jackson, Miss. Filed Nov. 3, 1959, Ser. No. 850,714 1 Claim. (Cl. 2-216) The present invention generally relates to novel improvements in articles of wearing apparel such as hoop skirts and more particularly relates to the construction of the hoop assembly which may be installed in the proper position in the hoop skirt and also may be assembled in a compact manner for ease of storage when the hoops are removed from the skirt.

As is well known, hoop skirts employ a plurality of ring members or annular members which progressively increase in diameter from the waist area downwardly to maintain the desired shape of the skirt. When the skirt is to be folded for storage or packed in a suitcase or laundered, it is necessary to remove the hoops. When such hoops are removed, they present a storage problem in view of the resilient nature of the hoops and in view of their characteristics of shape. Another problem which exists is a mechanism for securing the ends of the hoop together when assembled with the skirt and permitting detachment of the ends for removal of the hoop from the skirt. Therefore, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved hoop assembly which includes a plurality of strips of resilient and flexible material having coacting separable male and female snap-fastener elements on the ends thereof whereby the ends may be detachably connected when the strips or hoops are assembled with the skirt for maintaining them in annular or ring shape with the hoops also being capable of being connected in end-to-end relationship by the same snap-fastener elements whereby all of the hoops may be connected into one linear strip which may then be wound into a relatively compact coil and secured in a spiral wound condition by a suitable simple securing means thereby enabling the plurality of hoops to be stored in a compact spiral wound manner thereby facilitating the storage, transportation and handling of the hoops and also facilitating the insertion of the hoops into the skirt since the hoops may be assembled into the spiral coil in a predetermined manner so that as the hoops are unwound from the coil they may be assembled directly with the skirt.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hoop assembly for hoop skirts which is simple in construction, easy to assemble in relation to a skirt, easy to remove from a skirt, easy and simple to coil into a compact spiral coil, safe, dependable and long lasting and generally inexpensive to manufacture.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the hoop assembly illustrated in assembled relation to a hoop skirt with the hoop skirt being shown in dotted lines;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of one end of one of the hoops illustrating the male snap-fastener elements which face outwardly;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the other end of one of the hoops illustrating the female snap-fastener elements; and

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view illustrating the hoop skirt assembly in stored condition with the hoops being disposed and connected in end-to-end relationship and wound into a spiral coil.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates the hoop skirt assembly of the present invention which is constituted by a group of hoops, rings or annular members designated generally by the numerals 14, 16, 18 and 12. It is pointed out that the number of hoops may vary and the diameter and progressive increase or decrease in diameter may vary depending upon the desires of the individual. The hoop skirt itself is shown in dotted line and is generally designated by the numeral 20. The hoop skirt may be of any conventional structure with the usual hems or loops being provided for the hoops.

Each of the hoops is constructed of a strip of flexible and resilient metallic material 22 and it has been found that a suitable material is a light Weight tempered aluminum which has corrosion resistant qualities, is flexible and resilient and is otherwise well adapted for this particular use in view of its relative low cost and ease of manufacture. On one end of each strip 22, there is provided a pair of male snap-fastener elements 24 which face outwardly or have their beaded end facing outwardly for snap engagement with a pair of female snapfastener elements 26 on the other end of the strip 22.

When the hoops are assembled in the hoop skirt, the hoops are inserted into the hem provided therefor through an opening provided for the purposes of such insertion and the free ends of the hoop are interconnected by engaging the snap-fastener elements 24 and 26 thus retaining the hoop in annular or ring shape.

When it is desired to disassemble the hoops, it is only necessary to disengage the snap-fastener elements 26 and 24 and pull the hoop outwardly through the opening provided therefor. Then, the hoops may be connected in end-to-end relation by engaging one of the snap-fastener elements 26 with the corresponding snap-fastener element 24. For example, the end snap-fastener elements may be engaged. Then, the continuous sectional strip of material which constitutes all of the hoops is wound into a spiral form illustrated in FIGURE 4 and is retained in this condition by a plurality of retaining clips 28 constructed of bendable material having a slotted head 30 through which the free end of the clip 28 is inserted and then reversely bent against itself with the reversely bent portion being designated by the numeral 32 thereby maintaining the connected strips 22 in their spiral wound condition for ease of storage, transport and handling. The hoops may be connected in such a manner that as the spiral coil as illustrated in FIGURE 4 is unwound, the hoops may be sequentially placed in the hoop skirt in their proper sequence thereby facilitating the assembly of the hoops with the hoop skirt.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A hoop skirt assembly comprising a plurality of strips of material with the strips of material being progressively longer, and means on the end portions of the strips for selectively and detachably connecting said end portions of each strip for providing hoops of progressively increasing diameters for use in a hoop skirt or for detachably connecting the strips in end-to-end relation for providing a single strip adapted to be wound into a spiral coil for ease of storage, transportation and handling, said means for "connecting the ends of the strips including a pair of longitudinally spaced male snap-fastener elements on one end of each strip with said male snapfastener elements facing outwardly, and a pair of female snap-fastener elements on the other end of each strip With said female elements facing inwardly.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 699,322 Hobbs May 6, 1902 10 2,183,876 Sullivan Dec. 19, 1939 2,843,851 Tate July 22, 1958 

